"Despite the aggressive approach by Epstein writer and his team felt confident in their case but it would take estate attorney Barry Krisher to green light any charges so the relationship between police department and the prosecutors are very important one I had a great relationship. They ship with him. I was speaker at his last swearing in ceremony Soon very well he was a very effective state attorney. He was an elected official. He was there for more than twenty years. State Attorney Barry Krisher was very highly regarded. He was known as a tough prosecutor. You know if if you're GONNA do the crime you're into the time in Florida. It's really the top law enforcement in the county. It's it's above the sheriff because these guys is decide what gets to trial. What doesn't who gets charged? And who doesn't Michael Writer had a number of conversations with Krisher as the investigation went on keeping him in loop on how things were progressing. He says early on the conversations were positive well. After the first time I spoke with the state attorney about the case he said this will be easy case. We'll put him away for the rest of his life but he says as time went on things began to change the first indicator that that something had changed. was that the tone of the assistant state attorneys that we contacted about. The case was less cooperative Despite this his detectives continued and after nearly a year of identifying victims and collecting evidence. Police were ready to give Krisher assures office the case. That part of the story was very unusual because the palm beach police did a thorough investigation. This spoke to countless witnesses. They did trash. Polls the staked out the place. WHO's in and WHO's out? They had everything documented. They had videos dad photos does it was eleven month investigation. It was intense. It had everything they needed to paint this guy. As a twenty year jail bird in a May two thousand six six Affadavit Palm Beach. Police recommended multiple felonies against Epstein four counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and one count of Lewd and lascivious molestation this is ABC Sunny Halston a former federal prosecutor who specialized in child sex crimes. The charges in and of themselves are rape charges but they are significant charges. Because sometimes you choose to bring forth the case that is the strongest that you can approve. And that will result in a lane fee prison sentence so that you take an offender who very well may be a repeat offender under a serial Predator off the street for an extended period of time but writer says that Christopher was pushing back and claims that crushers attitude toward the case this had changed dramatically. We had Presented we thought was a fairly good case on some of the first victims and That that it was not getting the traction that deserved at his office that they seem to be disinterested in the case you. They wouldn't return his call. They wouldn't talk to him sometimes. They put him out to pasture writer. Thinks that's because epsteins lawyers had been working to sow seeds of doubt about the victims at one point during the investigation. The State Attorney's office and the Palm Beach Police Department received a hand delivered package from Epstein lawyers inside were scans of my space profiles of some of the victims along with letters. I from the attorneys challenging. Their credibility abstains. Laurie lawyers became very aggressive with the victims digging up their alcohol use their drug use. They had pictures of their my space pages. epsteins attorneys brought that to the state attorney and said look. Hey these girls are doing doing bad. Things isn't bad. Girls can be able to prove your case because you know we have all this evidence that they're doing bad things those close to the investigation instigation argue that it was a clear case of victim shaming as the letters point two descriptions of shoplifting underage drinking smoking and having sex in addition records. Show that Epstein's attorneys told police and prosecutors that Epstein simply had a passion for massages and a quote unequivocal reputation. For being truthful the approach writer says appeared to be working. We felt as though we were speaking speaking to a defense attorney. Instead of a prosecutor. He was advocating The suspects position that The the you know these really weren't all that serious of circumstances the victims were untruthful They wouldn't make good witnesses at trial trial. There's lots of reasons why this case shouldn't be prosecuted. It was unbelievable. Then and it's more unbelievable. Now writer later became so bothered. By the way Chris Office was handling the case that he even wrote a letter to Krisher urging him to recuse himself he saw uh totally differently than virtually everybody else from the law enforcement side. That was involved in it. And I you you know when that happens. There's a mechanism in the law to disqualify yourself from the case if you're the prosecutor and I asked him to do that but writers says he never never received a response to that letter and says he couldn't convince Krisher move forward with the charges. I called him several times After his office refused our applications for arrest warrants and all of my calls messages were unanswered. Instead Krisher takes an unexpected step he decided to present Epstein case to a grand jury. It was an unusual move especially in Florida Berry. Krisher sure decided to bring the evidence to a grand jury which is hardly ever done very unusual with the the amount of evidence in a case like this this type of robust investigation. I really can't make sense of it. You could charge directly without a grand jury that is your prerogative as a state attorney professionally one something like this happens. The State Attorney's office. I should go back to the chief of police and say okay. Well we got an indictment and this is what it is. Apparently they failed to do that. And Mike Rider reads about it. In in the press the Palm Beach Post had covered the story that Epstein was indicted and he had turned himself in. I believe it was Sunday night at the palm. Beach County jail. I was stunned We didn't hear anything after that whatsoever in the fact that that Epstein was allowed the turn himself into jail instead of us the Palm Beach Police Department we felt was a big air. Because if you're an investigator you wouldn't have the opportunity not to question the suspect. You want to have the opportunity to arrest them not let them walk into the jail because sometimes they confess. We didn't have that opportunity. We were not afforded that opportunity. It was Monday. July twenty fourth two thousand six. When Epstein face appeared in the local newspapers under headlines such as mystery money man in faces soliciting the grand jury had come back with a single felony charge against Epstein solicitation of prostitution? There was. There's nothing said about a minor in the charge. which would have been much more serious? Anyone that investigates prosecutes child sex crimes knows that this has nothing to do with prostitution. It's a present that kind of case in front of a grand jury Is Important imporant. Not only had Epstein escaped any of the tougher charges that writer and his detectives had been pursuing for a year. But now all all those young girls suddenly weren't portrayed as victims at all they'd been painted as prostitutes and the Law Epstein had been charged as if he were a typical John but in reality he'd been procuring and recruiting young girls so he could sexually abuse them solicitation one of prostitution connotes that these young girls were somehow selling sex and again. You know you can't have have consensual sex with a child so it's insulting to the victims. The law labeled them as prostitutes. The laws need need to change and a child can't be willing child can't consent to this. This was a smart wealthy person with a large urge home in Palm Beach. who was able to convince these children to have sexual contact with him? That's his full. That's not what therefore it's such a deep hurt you know to be called those things and even at a young age. That's not okay to it's not that will never be okay to be identified as that and be okay with that. I've listen to the recording of me talking to The investigators the person that I heard in that recording needed saving. I heard word like I could feel the hurt in my voice when I was listening to it and the words that I was using like I was so little I get here how little I was and how like afraid and the fact that I thought I was going to be in trouble was in my voice yet that happened and he touched me here her. It was just like really innocent kind of sounding and I just feel really. I felt really bad for that. Little girl billionaire alienate wants nominated is one of the nation's most eligible bachelors is free on bond after being arrested on prostitution charges fifty after being charged Epstein. Steve was booked into the Palm Beach County jail and was released a short time later on a three thousand dollar Bond Berry Krisher did not respond to ABC. Easy news is request for comment. But we've learned that how this case was handled by. His office is currently under investigation by the State of Florida. The way this investigation investigation was handled was deemed to be so unusual so different that it is now being investigated and last summer."

Automatic TRANSCRIPT

Despite the aggressive approach by Epstein writer and his team felt confident in their case but it would take estate attorney Barry Krisher to green light any charges so the relationship between police department and the prosecutors are very important one I had a great relationship. They ship with him. I was speaker at his last swearing in ceremony Soon very well he was a very effective state attorney. He was an elected official. He was there for more than twenty years. State Attorney Barry Krisher was very highly regarded. He was known as a tough prosecutor. You know if if you're GONNA do the crime you're into the time in Florida. It's really the top law enforcement in the county. It's it's above the sheriff because these guys is decide what gets to trial. What doesn't who gets charged? And who doesn't Michael Writer had a number of conversations with Krisher as the investigation went on keeping him in loop on how things were progressing. He says early on the conversations were positive well. After the first time I spoke with the state attorney about the case he said this will be easy case. We'll put him away for the rest of his life but he says as time went on things began to change the first indicator that that something had changed. was that the tone of the assistant state attorneys that we contacted about. The case was less cooperative Despite this his detectives continued and after nearly a year of identifying victims and collecting evidence. Police were ready to give Krisher assures office the case. That part of the story was very unusual because the palm beach police did a thorough investigation. This spoke to countless witnesses. They did trash. Polls the staked out the place. WHO's in and WHO's out? They had everything documented. They had videos dad photos does it was eleven month investigation. It was intense. It had everything they needed to paint this guy. As a twenty year jail bird in a May two thousand six six Affadavit Palm Beach. Police recommended multiple felonies against Epstein four counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and one count of Lewd and lascivious molestation this is ABC Sunny Halston a former federal prosecutor who specialized in child sex crimes. The charges in and of themselves are rape charges but they are significant charges. Because sometimes you choose to bring forth the case that is the strongest that you can approve. And that will result in a lane fee prison sentence so that you take an offender who very well may be a repeat offender under a serial Predator off the street for an extended period of time but writer says that Christopher was pushing back and claims that crushers attitude toward the case this had changed dramatically. We had Presented we thought was a fairly good case on some of the first victims and That that it was not getting the traction that deserved at his office that they seem to be disinterested in the case you. They wouldn't return his call. They wouldn't talk to him sometimes. They put him out to pasture writer. Thinks that's because epsteins lawyers had been working to sow seeds of doubt about the victims at one point during the investigation. The State Attorney's office and the Palm Beach Police Department received a hand delivered package from Epstein lawyers inside were scans of my space profiles of some of the victims along with letters. I from the attorneys challenging. Their credibility abstains. Laurie lawyers became very aggressive with the victims digging up their alcohol use their drug use. They had pictures of their my space pages. epsteins attorneys brought that to the state attorney and said look. Hey these girls are doing doing bad. Things isn't bad. Girls can be able to prove your case because you know we have all this evidence that they're doing bad things those close to the investigation instigation argue that it was a clear case of victim shaming as the letters point two descriptions of shoplifting underage drinking smoking and having sex in addition records. Show that Epstein's attorneys told police and prosecutors that Epstein simply had a passion for massages and a quote unequivocal reputation. For being truthful the approach writer says appeared to be working. We felt as though we were speaking speaking to a defense attorney. Instead of a prosecutor. He was advocating The suspects position that The the you know these really weren't all that serious of circumstances the victims were untruthful They wouldn't make good witnesses at trial trial. There's lots of reasons why this case shouldn't be prosecuted. It was unbelievable. Then and it's more unbelievable. Now writer later became so bothered. By the way Chris Office was handling the case that he even wrote a letter to Krisher urging him to recuse himself he saw uh totally differently than virtually everybody else from the law enforcement side. That was involved in it. And I you you know when that happens. There's a mechanism in the law to disqualify yourself from the case if you're the prosecutor and I asked him to do that but writers says he never never received a response to that letter and says he couldn't convince Krisher move forward with the charges. I called him several times After his office refused our applications for arrest warrants and all of my calls messages were unanswered. Instead Krisher takes an unexpected step he decided to present Epstein case to a grand jury. It was an unusual move especially in Florida Berry. Krisher sure decided to bring the evidence to a grand jury which is hardly ever done very unusual with the the amount of evidence in a case like this this type of robust investigation. I really can't make sense of it. You could charge directly without a grand jury that is your prerogative as a state attorney professionally one something like this happens. The State Attorney's office. I should go back to the chief of police and say okay. Well we got an indictment and this is what it is. Apparently they failed to do that. And Mike Rider reads about it. In in the press the Palm Beach Post had covered the story that Epstein was indicted and he had turned himself in. I believe it was Sunday night at the palm. Beach County jail. I was stunned We didn't hear anything after that whatsoever in the fact that that Epstein was allowed the turn himself into jail instead of us the Palm Beach Police Department we felt was a big air. Because if you're an investigator you wouldn't have the opportunity not to question the suspect. You want to have the opportunity to arrest them not let them walk into the jail because sometimes they confess. We didn't have that opportunity. We were not afforded that opportunity. It was Monday. July twenty fourth two thousand six. When Epstein face appeared in the local newspapers under headlines such as mystery money man in faces soliciting the grand jury had come back with a single felony charge against Epstein solicitation of prostitution? There was. There's nothing said about a minor in the charge. which would have been much more serious? Anyone that investigates prosecutes child sex crimes knows that this has nothing to do with prostitution. It's a present that kind of case in front of a grand jury Is Important imporant. Not only had Epstein escaped any of the tougher charges that writer and his detectives had been pursuing for a year. But now all all those young girls suddenly weren't portrayed as victims at all they'd been painted as prostitutes and the Law Epstein had been charged as if he were a typical John but in reality he'd been procuring and recruiting young girls so he could sexually abuse them solicitation one of prostitution connotes that these young girls were somehow selling sex and again. You know you can't have have consensual sex with a child so it's insulting to the victims. The law labeled them as prostitutes. The laws need need to change and a child can't be willing child can't consent to this. This was a smart wealthy person with a large urge home in Palm Beach. who was able to convince these children to have sexual contact with him? That's his full. That's not what therefore it's such a deep hurt you know to be called those things and even at a young age. That's not okay to it's not that will never be okay to be identified as that and be okay with that. I've listen to the recording of me talking to The investigators the person that I heard in that recording needed saving. I heard word like I could feel the hurt in my voice when I was listening to it and the words that I was using like I was so little I get here how little I was and how like afraid and the fact that I thought I was going to be in trouble was in my voice yet that happened and he touched me here her. It was just like really innocent kind of sounding and I just feel really. I felt really bad for that. Little girl billionaire alienate wants nominated is one of the nation's most eligible bachelors is free on bond after being arrested on prostitution charges fifty after being charged Epstein. Steve was booked into the Palm Beach County jail and was released a short time later on a three thousand dollar Bond Berry Krisher did not respond to ABC. Easy news is request for comment. But we've learned that how this case was handled by. His office is currently under investigation by the State of Florida. The way this investigation investigation was handled was deemed to be so unusual so different that it is now being investigated and last summer.